Just Like You Always Have Been
by sej1986
Summary: Jack and Chloe. Just fluff really. Set after S6. Please R


_**Just Like You Always Have Been**_

J/C fluff. Because we all love J/C fluff :D

I don't own anything to do with 24, sadly!

Cheering broke out on the main floor as the field agents returned at last, safe. Chloe and her analysts had helped them locate the last nuke in time, had fed them intel on how to disarm the bomb, and had brought them back safely.

"Brilliant job, Jack." Buchanan stepped forward and shook Jack's hand sincerely. "I don't know how to begin to thank you."

Jack just smiled tiredly; he'd heard it before.

"I'm sorry about Audrey," Bill offered quietly, watching Jack's face for a reaction.

"Yeah." Jack was vague; Bill knew not to push it.

"Go and get your team sorted, then come to the situation room for a debrief."

Jack nodded. There was something else he had to do first.

He directed his men to go and get cleaned up, then scanned the floor for Chloe. Jack noticed that Morris was also missing from the comms station.

"Tech one," came Milo's voice from behind him.

Jack looked round. "Excuse me?"

"Chloe. She's in tech one. Figured you were looking for her," Milo replied, walking back to his station.

Jack muttered under his breath as he left the main floor and headed down the dimly lit corridor to the IT department. He passed no one on the way, something he was thankful for; he'd had enough stares and congratulations thrown his way. What people didn't seem to realise was that he didn't deserve their gratitude.

As Jack keyed in the code for tech one and the doors slid quietly open, he heard the muffled sound of crying coming from within…

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Her heart was pounding with nerves and her hands were slick with sweat. And she wasn't even there yet, hell, she hadn't even left her apartment yet.

Chloe jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang.

"Pull it together, O'Brian," she muttered, before opening the phone and barking "yes" into it a little harsher than she'd intended.

"Chloe, it's Bill Buchanan. Just making sure you're still joining us tonight?"

"Don't have much choice, do I?"

She felt rather than heard Bill laughing at the other end of the line.

"It's for Jack, Chloe," he reminded her gently, although she didn't need reminding and they both knew that.

"I know," she sighed, scowling. "I just wish everyone would stop saying that."

"We'll see you at eight," Bill said, a signal he was ending the call.

Chloe hung up also, and ran her hands through her hair in despair.

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Jack didn't say anything as the door slid shut behind him. His footsteps gave him away; the crying stopped, replaced by tiny sniffs every few seconds.

She was stood with her back to him, almost huddled in a remote corner of the room. All the monitors were off, leaving very little light. He knew it was her, though.

She hadn't turned round at his entrance. Instead she was rooted to the spot. He could see she was shaking, trying to keep everything locked up inside. It was a technique he knew all too well.

Silently, he moved until he was mere footsteps away from her, wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms but at the same time understanding that she would turn to him in her own time.

He didn't have to wait very long. It was as though she had known it was him all along, the way she slowly turned round and buried her face in his shoulder, her small body heaving now with the sobs she'd been trying so hard to keep inside.

As he wrapped her in his arms, he realised that she probably had known it was him. They had… something… Jack wasn't sure how to describe their bond… and he was only realising it now.

He found himself hoping he wasn't too late.

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She'd showered and dried her hair, that was a start, right? Makeup was the easy bit. As she never wore any, she didn't own any, so she figured she'd just skipped half an hour in the preparation process.

The dress was laid out on her bed, taunting her. It had looked okay in the store; now, imagining herself wearing it, she knew it would look terrible. She'd wanted something smart, not too flirty, not too tight and not too revealing.

Seemed these days people didn't go for the conservative look, she thought miserably, tying her dark brown hair into a loose pony tail to stop it getting in her face.

The red fabric was soft, floating out of her hands as she removed it from the hanger. Chloe held the dress up against her and stood in front of the mirror. Squinting, she guessed she didn't look too bad. Passable. No one was likely to notice her, anyway. The evening was for Jack, and Chloe was planning to remain in the background, to blend in as best she could and remain out of sight, just like she was always out of sight to him…

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Gradually, her sobs subsided. He found himself smoothing her hair, appreciating its softness… appreciating her.

Slowly, she looked up, her big brown eyes so full of sadness it made his breath catch in his throat.

"Hey," she whispered blinking furiously.

"Hey." He leaned down until his forehead was resting against hers.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I messed up today, I didn't mean to lose it in front of you, God knows you don't need it right now…"

"Ssh. Why are you apologising?"

"I-it's just… you've had such a bad day… and I…"

"We've been in this together." He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. If only he could make her see…

"No, Jack. You and I… not in it together… that's the problem."

Before he could ask her what she meant, Chloe quickly walked away, leaving him alone.

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By seven fifty she was ready. Smoothing down the end of the dress, she eyed herself critically in the hall mirror.

"Who am I kidding?" she muttered to herself.

She had been dreading the dinner all week. Chloe O'Brian didn't do big parties. She couldn't bear the noise, the false smiles and the oppressive atmosphere. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of seeing Jack, although part of her didn't want to see him.

Closing her eyes, she could almost feel his arms around her, holding her as she wept into his shoulder. She couldn't believe she had lost control in front of him, of all people. There wasn't a hope in hell now that he would ever return the feelings she had for him, feelings that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push away.

The sound of the buzzer interrupted her daydream.

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Jack sat at the main table and looked around.

Bill had booked the whole restaurant, the best in town, just for him. He'd tried to persuade him not to waste his money but Bill had been adamant.

"It's the least this country owes you," he'd told him.

But Jack couldn't have done it without her. Without Chloe guiding him, he would be near useless in the field. There was only so much a field agent could do without backup, and Jack had been so used to hearing her firm but gentle voice in his ear that he'd taken her for granted. When he'd found her crying, something inside him had snapped; something, he realised, that had been near to snapping for a long time.

As he'd held her he wished he could let her in, wished she would let him in. It hurt him, to see her so upset and knowing they were both too stubborn to ask for help.

"Jack, it's good to see you." Bill sat down next to him and surveyed the room. "Quite a turn out."

Jack managed a small smile.

"Chloe's here, you should see her, Jack. You wouldn't recognise her."

Jack looked up, his eyes scanning the floor for her as they always did. When he saw her he stood up, and, making his excuses to Bill, crossed the floor to where she stood.

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The place was packed. There were eight huge tables and around them people stood or sat in groups, laughing and talking. She searched the floor for him but couldn't make him out in the sea of colours.

Chloe moved away from the door and made her way silently around the edge of the room until she came to a window. Thankfully it was open- she stood close to it and inhaled the cool night air gratefully, feeling somewhat calmer.

From where she was she had a limited view of the restaurant; the window was in a large, somewhat darkened alcove. Likewise, people had a limited view of her, so instead Chloe turned her attention to the night outside, watching the water of the Los Angeles river lap lazily at its banks.

"Hey."

Flicking her eyes up, she saw him leaning against the wall just behind her.

"Hey." She turned round and saw him smiling, something she hadn't seen him do in a long time.

"Bit crowded out there," he told her, stepping closer.

"Tell me about it."

"You look… beautiful, Chloe."

She felt her heart beat quicken. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"What, this?" She looked nervously at her dress. "It's okay, I guess. I mean, I don't-"

She was silenced by his fingers on her lips.

"Oh," she whispered.

He put his arms round her again, and Chloe couldn't help but notice how right it felt.

"Beautiful," he said again, only this time his voice was lower. His eyes sought hers, held them. "Let me in," he whispered.

Chloe felt the tears in her eyes, matching the ones that were pouring silently down his face. His eyes were bright, their old sadness slowly fading as though a mist was being lifted. He'd let his defences down, was showing her a side that many people never saw.

"Okay, Jack." She wiped her eyes, her breathing matching his. "I'm ready. I can do it."

"I know you can. I realise that now."

His lips on hers sent shock waves through her body.

"I love you." The words were out before she could stop them and she held her breath, waiting for his response.

"I love you, too," came the whispered reply, before he kissed her again. "I'm never going to take you for granted again, I… I can't lose you." His eyes were pleading.

"You won't lose me, Jack," she assured him. "I'll always be here for you."

"Just like you always have been," he smiled.


End file.
